Terrorism fear drives publics to accept erosion of democratic judicial processes

Evidence

Since fear of terrorism is the fear of death or mutilation, extremely powerful emotional drives direct the political behavior of potential victims. The fear of terrorism often leads to popular demands for protection and prevention. Democratic procedures can also be undermined. Judicial processes, for example, can be subverted. In April 1977 the assassination of the president of the Turin Bar Association was followed by a request to be excused for medical reasons by thirty-six of the forty-two jurors preliminarily selected for the trial of Renato Curcio and twelve other terrorist leaders of the Red Brigades. This postponement followed an earlier delay resulting from the June 1976 assassination of the attorney general of Genoa (Pisano, 1979, pp. 186–187). — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4172

Categorization

• SEED: This is a stark, concrete example: a single assassination produced 36 of 42 jurors recusing themselves. An essay on how fear empirically corrodes legal institutions could use the Italian Red Brigades trials and compare to modern juror fear cases.